Sprinkling apparatus



(No Model.) 1 a Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. S. GLENN. SPRINKLING APPARATUS.

, k Ti Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

me new! ve'rns cm, muwmuo wAsmus'rom m c.

(No Model.) 3SheetsSheet 2.

G. S. GLENN.

SPRINKLING APPARATUS. 1904479979. Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

wm y 5 9 9 f i a? a i,

(No Model.) 7 3 Sheets--Sheet 3.

G. S. GLENN. SPRINKLING APPARATUS.

No. 479,979. Patented Aug. 2, 1992.

{736 d e, 2 Wm, xi Z22 I UNITED STATES PATENT Grnicn.

GEORGE S. GLENN, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

SPRINKLING APPARATUS SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0.479,979, dated August 2, 1892. Application filed January 5 189l- SerialNo. 376,696. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. GLENN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Nashville, county of Davidson, and State of Tennessee, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Sprinkling Apparatus,fully described and represented in the following specification and theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to improvements in sprinkling or flushingapparatus designed particularly for use in sprinkling or flushing thestreets of a city or town, though the invention is, as will be apparent,capable of use for a variety of other purposes.

The invention consists in certain improvements in the construction andarrangement of the sprinkling-pipes and also in an improved constructionand arrangement of sprinkler to be used in connection with such pipes,all of which will be hereinafter fully described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of astreet the sidewalks of which upon opposite sides of the roadway areequipped with the sprinkling apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 2is a plan view of a square the four sidewalks of which are similarlyequipped. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, upon an enlarged scale, of oneform of sprinkler. Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views of two other forms ofsprinklers.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, it will be seen that the sprinklingapparatus of the present invention, which is therein illustrated asapplied to the sidewalks of a city street for sprinkling the roadwaybetween them, con sists of a pipe A for each sidewalk B, arrangedlongitudinally thereof and located beneath the flagstones, as shown bydotted lines, Fig. 1, at ashort distance from the curb 0. Each pipe A isconnected by a pipe D with the service-main E or with any other sourceof watersupply, and each pipe is provided at regular intervals in itslength with a plurality of sprinklers F, the construction of which willpresently be described, which project outwardly from the pipe A towithin a short distance of the outer face of the curb C. At the pointsin the curb coinciding with the sprinklers F suitable openings orrecesses are formed for receiving the sprinklers, which openings orrecesses are of a depth sufficient to permit the outer face of thesprinklers when the latter are in position therein to lie within theouter surface of the curb, and thus be out of the way of passingvehicles and the like, the contact of which with said sprinklers wouldbe liable to break or otherwise damage the latter. The number ofsprinklers F with which the pipe A is provided will be dependent, ofcourse, upon the length of such pipes, these sprinklers being sopositioned relatively to each Other that the jet or stream from eachwill meet or perhaps overlap the jet or stream of the contiguoussprinkler, and thus insure a uniform, and consequently a more rapid,flushing or sprinkling of the roadway. Each pipe A,in addition to itssupplypipe D, is provided with a waste-pipe G,co1nmunicating with asewer, cistern, or other point, and between the supply and waste pipesthere is located a two-way cook or valve H, which in one position openscommunication between the supply-pipe D and sprinkling-pipe A and closescommunication between the latter and its waste-pipe G, and in its otherposition closes communication between the supply and sprinkling pipesand opens communication between the latter and its waste-pipe, so as topermit the escape of the water still remaining in the sprinklingpipeafter the closing of the supply, and thus prevent freezing of thelatterin cold weather. The stems of the valves or cocks H extend upwardthrough the flagstones into hand-holes I, provided therein for receivingthem, and thus positioned they are readily accessible and at the sametime out of danger of breakage, 850., by the feet of pedestrians.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 3, the construction of the sprinklertherein illustrated will be described. The sprinkler F therein shown isconnected bya neck f to the pipe A and projects outwardly through thecurb Oin a slightly-inclined upward direction, as shown. The face of thesprinkler is convex and the lower half thereof is provided with aplurality of perforations so positioned therein that the water issuingtherefrom will spread radially outward toward the center of the roadway,the jets or streams issuing from the end perforations in lines whichintersect the jets or streams issuing from the contigu- ICZO oussprinkler. The supply to each pipe A should be so regulated that thepressure of the water will be of sufficient strength to throw streams orjets from the sprinkler to the middle of the street or as far as may bedesired.

The pipes A of Fig. 1 and those of the square illustrated in Fig. 2 areshown as hav ing each an independent connection to the source ofwater-supply and an independentwaste connection, and this arrangement isthe preferred one for the following reason: It will often happen thattheroadwayof one street will require sprinkling or flushing more frequentlythan the roadways of the other streets, and at times when the sprinklingor flushing of the roadways of the other streets would be a waste of thewater, and it is necessary in order to prevent such waste that thesprinkling of the one street maybe carried on independently of theothers. This is secured in the present case by the provision of theindependent connections described for each pipe with the water-supply.lVhere, however, it is not desired to provide for such independentsprinkling or flushing, the four pipes, or any number of the pipes ofthe square, may have a common connection to the supply. As shown, thepipes of each square are independent of those of the other squares; butit will be apparent that the pipes of all or any selected number ofsquares may have a common connection to the supply, if desired. What hasheretofore been described as the preferred form will, however, in nearlyall cases be found most advantageous.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: When it is desired tosprinkle or flush any selected street, all that it is necessary to do isto turn the cocks Ii upon opposite sides of the street and put the twopipes A into communication with the main E. The water will then issuefrom the sprinklers F upon opposite sides of the street, the streams orjets from one side meeting or lapping those from the other and thestreams or jets from one sprinkler meeting or lapping the streams orjets from the contiguous sprinkler in the same pipe. To stop the flow ofwater, the valves H are turned in the opposite direction, shutting offthe supply and opening communication between the pipes A and theirwastepipes G, through which latter the water remaining in the pipes Aisdrained, so as to prevent freezing of the latter in cold weather.

The construction of sprinkler illustrated in Fig. 3 will be foundadapted in most cases to the securing of the proper throw of water toinsure the sprinkling of the middle of the roadway; but it willsometimes happen that the head or force of the water-supply is notsufficiently strong to insure this long throw with such sprinklers. Tomeet such conditions, the apparatus may be provided with J sprinklers ofthe construction illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The sprinklers shown inthese figures are connected to the sprinkling-pipes and are upwardlyinclined the same as in the preceding figures. They are, however, madeof thicker metal and are provided with openin gs 0, which taperoutwardly toward the face of the sprinkler, the outer edge of eachopening being considerably less in diameter than the inner edge, asshown. With the openings thus tapered the pressure of the water there inis increased to such an extent that the water issuing from thesprinklers, even where the head is very light, is thrown in thin jets orstreams with great force into the center of the roadway.

It may be necessary or desirable in some uses to which the sprinklingapparatus of the present invention may be applied to clean the interiorof the sprinkler of dirt or sediment which may have collected thereinand which cannot well be removed by the water. To provide for suchcleansing, the upper unperforated half of the sprinkler is hinged uponthe lower half, as shown in Fig. 5, and ready access can be had totheinterior of the sprinkler by swinging the upper half back upon theunder half, so as to expose the interior of the sprinkler, from whichsuch dirt or sediment can then be removed by hand or otherwise. When thecleansing of the sprinkler is completed, the hinged portion of thesprinkler is swung back to its closing position, the meeting edges ofthe two portions formingawatertight joint and locked in that position byany suitable means.

As I have before intimated, the apparatus of the present invention iscapable of application to a variety of purposes other than the singleone illustrated-as, for example, to the sprinkling of vineyards,lawns,gardens,farms, race-courses, &c.and all such other applications of theapparatus are included in the present invention. In such otherapplications the sprinklers may be arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,or as shown in Fig. 6, and they may consist, as shown in the latterfigure, of a number of sliding sections or of a single pipe of a heightsuited to the particular purpose to which the apparatus is applied.

That I claim is 1.. In a sprinkling apparatus, the combination of a pipearranged along the surface to be sprinkled, connections between saidpipe and a source of water-supply, and a plurality of convex-facedsprinklers in said pipe projecting above the surface to be sprinkled andprovided with outwardly-tapering openings upon their lower portions tothrow the water downwardly and unperforated upon their upper portions,the two portions of the sprinkler having a hinged connection to eachother, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with pipe A, of the sprinkler F, connected to saidpipe and inclined upwardly and toward the surface to be sprinkled, thelower portion of the face of said sprinkler being perforated and itsupper portion unperforatcd, the two portions of the sprinkler having ahinged connection to each other, whereby access may be had to itsinterior, substantially as described 3. In a sprinkling apparatus, thecombination of a sprinkler the face whereof is made in two parts havinga hinged connection to each other, whereby the interior of the sprinklermay be exposed for cleansing, one of said parts being perforated and theother unper- 1o forated, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEO. S. GLENN. lrVitnesses:

H. S. MORRIS, J. B. POYNOR.

